Dinner’s On The Table – Healthy Specialty Foods & Recipes

Gobble gobble gobble

First we stuffed the bird, then we stuffed ourselves.  It’s inevitable that we’ll be eating turkey sandwiches for the next week.  I don’t know about you, but I actually like a nice fresh turkey sandwich the day after Thanksgiving.  

If that sounds like a fate worse than death, here are a few ideas.  If you aren’t feeling creative, or you just don’t like to cook, the easiest option is to package meal-sized servings of turkey, stuffing or potatoes and gravy in Tupperware, then stick it in the freezer.  Pull it out the day before you’re planning on eating it, and just nuke it.  Instant easy meal after a long day of holiday shopping.  I like some of the other options a little better.  Turkey Pot Pie, Turkey Chili, Turkey Soup, Turkey Salad, Turkey Stir Fry, Turkey Tacos, Turkey Fajitas, Turkey Croquettes, Turkey Hash, or just have the old stand by…Hot Turkey Sandwiches.  You could even use it for breakfast by adding it to the filling for you Sunday morning omlet. 

Keep in mind that the turkey isn’t the only thing you can get creative with.  You can use the potatoes or the stuffing as a topping for your pot pie.  The veggies can go into a pot of soup.  Even the cranberries can be transformed.  Mix them into a container of cool whip, spoon them into a dessert dish and top with crushed graham crackers or chopped walnuts.  Top some non-fat vanilla yogurt with a spoonful of cranberries and sprinkle with granola for a healthy breakfast or snack. 

(If you have any pie left, your best bet is to eat it or freeze it.)

If you like some of these ideas, but don’t want to spend another day cooking until next Thanksgiving, give me a call.  We can schedule a cook date and whip up something delicious with your leftovers. 

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We were grocery shopping in Adams Fairacre Farm (www.adamsfarms.com) last week, wondering if they might have fiddleheads, and to my surprise, they had MORELS!!!!  I’ve never seen these fresh, only dried.  Not having a clue what I was going to do with them, I bought a half pound of these beauties. 

When we got home, I went straight to my trusty computer to search for recipes.  I found many that were basically breaded and fried.  Some were just dusted with flour, some had an egg wash, neither thrilled me.  I put them in my Tupperware FridgeSmart container in the fridge and almost forgot they were there.  A few days later, we grilled up a lamb roast for dinner.  After finishing dinner that night, I remembered the morels.  That’s when I decided to make a Morel Sauce to go with the leftover lamb.  I sauted an onion with garlic and added the sliced morels.  I let them cook until they had a little browning.  I added 2 tablespoons of flour to make a roux, then added a splash of Madiera and some low sodium beef stock (canned broth works great).  I let it thicken a bit before adding slices of lamb.  I let the lamb simmer while finishing the garlic fanned potatoes. 

Dinner that night was GREAT! 

I Can’t wait for the leftovers.

Side note…Adams has fiddleheads! 

www.adamsfarms.com

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On our way home from our cook date Tuesday afternoon, we decided to check out the Rhinebeck Health Food store.  We were very pleasantly surprised to find ramps and fiddlehead ferns.  After checking out the rest of the store, we decided to purchase some of each. 

Tonight was our first try at both this year.   We cooked fiddleheads a few years ago but we’ve never had ramps.  I did a quick internet search for recipes and got a few ideas.  Fiddleheads can be used in many recipes that call for broccoli and asparagus and they lend themselves nicely to oriental dishes, so since we were making cedar plank salmon with a wasabi soy glaze and healthy fried rice for dinner, the fiddleheads made a really nice vegetable side dish.  I blanched them for a few minutes until the were nice and tender then tossed them in a hot skillet with olive oil.  I added 3 sliced ramps to the pan, sprinkled a pinch of salt and that was it! 

We bought enough ramps to last us a few weeks, but only enough fiddleheads for dinner tonight, so I guess we have to go back for more while they’re available. 

Just a note…neither have a very long shelf life, but I’m storing the ramps in my new Tupperware FridgeSmart container.  I’ve had mushrooms last for literally weeks and lettuce keeps until we actually finish it, so the ramps should be good until we finish them too.  No more wasted produce for us!

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You don’t need to wait in line at a deli or yearn for the weekend just to have a delicious egg sandwich for breakfast. Here’s a quick tip to get your egg sandwich up and running and its healthier than going to that fast food joint for an Egg McMuffin.

Do you like veggies with your eggs? Here’s a way to prep them ahead of time and make your mornings easier. Grab an onion from the pantry and a pepper from the fridge. Now take your favorite knife or food processor and dice them up.

Next, take a cookie sheet that will fit into your freezer. Place a sheet of wax paper or a silicon pad on it and then spread out the diced veggies evenly so there aren’t any big clumps. Then place the cookie sheet into the freezer for 1-2 hours until the individual dices are frozen. Now you can place the veggies into a Ziplock freezer bag, favorite Tupperware or other freezer container and save in the freezer.

When morning comes (or any other time of day) reach in and take out what you need for a quick sauté, or microwave until heated through. Add to your eggs, cook and go.

If you don’t want your onions and peppers mixed, process them separately.

Don’t forget to try other combinations of veggies, just make sure the dice is small enough to allow for quick cooking. You can also find pre-diced veggies in your grocers freezer section. There’s no reason why you can’t have a quick, healthy breakfast that isn’t complicated or boring.

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